The use of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay systems for the serology and antigen detection in parvovirus, coronavirus and rotavirus infections in dogs in The Netherlands.

Complex trapping blocking (CTB) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) and indirect ELISAs for the detection of antibodies to canine parvovirus (CPV), canine coronavirus (CCV) and rotavirus in sera of dogs were established. Double antibody sandwich ELISAs for the detection of CPV-, CCV- and rotavirus antigens in fecal samples were also developed. Both the serological and antigen-detection ELISAs were used to screen samples from dogs in The Netherlands, with or without a history of acute diarrhea. It was shown that the results of the respective serological ELISAs correlated well and that CPV was the major cause of virus-induced acute diarrhea in dogs in The Netherlands

Detection of Helicobacter pylori in bile of cats

Lymphocytic cholangitis (LC) in cats is a biliary disease of unknown etiology. Helicobacter spp. were recently implicated in human primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) and primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). Because of the similarities between PSC/PBC with LC, we hypothesized that Helicobacter spp. are involved in feline LC. A PCR with Helicobacter genus-specific 16S rRNA primers was performed on DNA isolated from feline bile samples. Four of the 15 (26%) LC samples were positive, whereas only 8/51 (16%) of non-LC samples were PCR positive (p=0.44). Sequence analysis of the amplicons revealed a 100% identity with the Helicobacter pylori specific DNA fragments. Our data suggest an etiological role of H. pylori in feline LC and that cats are a potential zoonotic reservoir

Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) infection in the cat as a model for HIV infection in man: FIV induced impairment of immune function.

To assess the value of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) infection as a model for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in man, we studied the impairment of certain immunological functions following natural or experimental FIV infection. Proliferative responses of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from symptomatic and asymptomatic cats after naturally or experimentally acquired FIV infection, induced by activation with the mitogens concanavalin A, pokeweed mitogen, or lipopolysaccharide or by stimulation with human interleukin-2 (IL-2), were significantly lower than the proliferative responses found with PBMC from noninfected control cats. Also IL-2 production levels of mitogen-activated PBMC from naturally infected symptomatic cats were significantly reduced. These data confirm that the pathogenesis of FIV infection in the cat, like HIV infection in man, is characterized by a serious malfunction of the immune system